Why Israel struck a Christian hospital in Gaza
Church leaders condemn IDF bombardment, but ignore Hamas exploitation of the medical facility.
The Israeli army on Sunday struck the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, eliciting international criticism and condemnation from church leaders.
The various reactions charged the IDF with deliberately targeting the Christian facility, implicitly suggesting that it was done out of a bigoted disdain for all non-Jews, be they Muslims or Christians. This fits with the broader false narrative of Israel as an “apartheid” state.
The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which oversees the Al-Ahli Hospital, was particularly appalled that the strike occurred on Palm Sunday, again implying that it being a Christian holy day was motivation for the Israeli aggression.
The diocese’s statement read:
“The Diocese of Jerusalem condemns in the strongest terms today’s missile attacks on the Ahli Arab Hospital, an institution run by the Anglican Church in Jerusalem. The twin strikes demolished the two-storey Genetic Laboratory and damaged the Pharmacy and the Emergency Department buildings. It also resulted in other collateral damage to the surrounding buildings, including the church building of St. Philip’s.
“A mere twenty minutes prior to the attack, the Israeli army ordered all patients, employees, and displaced people to immediately evacuate the hospital premises prior to its bombing. We thank God that there were no injuries or deaths as a result of the bombing. However, one child who previously suffered a head-injury tragically died as a result of the rushed evacuation process.
“The Diocese of Jerusalem is appalled at the bombing of the hospital now for the fifth time since the beginning of the war in 2023—and this time on the morning of Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. We call upon all governments and people of goodwill to intervene to stop all kinds of attacks on medical and humanitarian institutions. We pray and call for the end of this horrific war and the suffering of so many.”
According to the Israeli army, the Episcopal Diocese buried the context by “forgetting” to mention that Al-Ahli Hospital was again being used by Hamas for terrorist purposes.
A statement released by the IDF said Hamas had established a “command and control center” in the hospital, and that the compound “was used by Hamas terrorists to plan and execute terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.”
International law stipulates that hospitals, churches and other “protected” facilities lose that status if they are used for military purposes.
Article 21 of the First Geneva Convention clarifies that a medical facility can lose its protected status if it is used for “acts harmful to the enemy.”
Article 19 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that it is the responsibility of the local authorities to “ensure that the said medical establishments and units are, as far as possible, situated in such a manner that attacks against military objectives cannot imperil their safety.”
Just the facts
The facility’s protected status aside, some were upset by allegations that the IDF had given the hospital “just 20 minutes” to evacuate.
In response, the Israeli government urged the German Foreign Ministry and other foreign bodies to stick to the facts rather than regurgitate Hamas talking points.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry listed the following critical details missing from the German Foreign Ministry tweet, the Episcopal Diocese statement, and most other criticisms of the strike:
- This was a precise strike on a single building that was used by Hamas as a terror command and control center. There was no medical activity taking place in this building.
- Prior to the strike, an early warning was issued.
- There were no civilian casualties as a result of the strike.
- The strike was carried out while avoiding further damage to the hospital compound, which remained operational for continued medical treatment.
- At Al-Nasr Hospital, the Head of the Nursing Department, Muhammad Sakr, just published a Facebook post in which he stated that he had received death threats from Islamic Jihad operatives after he and his colleagues refused to allow terrorists who did not require medical treatment into the hospital compound.
Israel said the knee-jerk reaction by the Anglicans, the Germans, and so many others only served Hamas interests. Jerusalem encouraged everyone to instead focus on the fact that “Hamas and other terrorist organizations use hospitals in Gaza for terrorist activities,” which is a clear violation of international law.
We’ve been here before
A view shows the aftermath of the deadly blast at Al-Ahli hospital on October 17, 2023
Al-Ahli Hospital was at the center of a media-fueled controversy in the early weeks of the war when an explosion rocked the facility on October 17, 2023, just 10 days after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel.
World media immediately began disseminating the Hamas charge that Israel was carrying out a disproportionate and indiscriminate response against the people of Gaza, and that even local Christians weren’t safe.
The aim was clear: To turn a Christian world much of which is generally sympathetic to Israel against the Jewish state.
Evidence quickly showed that an errant Palestinian terrorist rocket had hit the hospital, not an Israeli bomb. But no doubt the media’s eagerness to jump to a baseless anti-Israel conclusion informed Hamas’s decision to later use Al-Ahli as cover for its operations, thus further endangering its patients.
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